Wildlife supervisor Kris Johansen explains the history of chronic wasting disease at a DNR informational meeting as audience members listen. / Kevin Lu/Stevens Point Journal Media

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MILLADORE — Wisconsin wildlife experts gathered at the Mead State Wildlife Area on Tuesday to explain the state’s strategy on chronic wasting disease and ask for the public’s help.

A year-old doe infected with CWD was found near Junction City in November, the first time an infected wild deer was found in Portage County. CWD is a fatal nervous system disease found in deer, moose and elk.

There has been no evidence that eating infected deer meat can be harmful to humans and nothing suggests CWD can be spread to humans. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been trying to contain and track infected deer since 2002. When it was found, it was the first time a CWD case has been seen east of the Mississippi River.

The experts on Tuesday night explained the history of the disease and asked the several dozen people at the meeting to help the DNR track deer that have symptoms of CWD, and to define the geographical distribution of the disease and its prevalence.

“We know that it will spread if there’s nothing done about it,” said Kris Johansen, a wildlife supervisor for the DNR from Wisconsin Rapids. “If we don’t do something now, it’s likely in future years ... there will be declining deer populations.”

A deer with CWD would show signs of excessive salivation, have an emaciated appearance, an inability to stand and wouldn’t be afraid of humans, according to the experts. The DNR operates a CWD management zone, an 8,849-square-mile area in the southern part of Wisconsin where the DNR closely tracks and monitors deer. There have been five cases of CWD-infected deer found this year outside of the zone, and the DNR has taken samples from within a 10-mile radius of each of the positive cases this year.

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“The future right now is uncertain,” said Tami Ryan, a wildlife health section chief. “We don’t really know what direction we’re going; we only know what we’ve tried and where we’ve been.”

In 2002, there was an 8 percent prevalence of CWD in adult deer in Wisconsin. That number jumped to 18 percent in 2011, according to the DNR. The DNR added that herd numbers have not dropped in the CWD management zone. In the core area of the zone, 22 percent of adult bucks are infected. In Colorado and Wyoming, where the majority of CWD cases are in the United States, the population declines began when the infection rate topped 40 percent.

There have been cases of Wisconsin deer farms getting infected. Of the 515 farms in the state, there have been nine cases of positive herds, the experts said. At those farms and many others around the country, states paid the farmers to have the deer killed. Lately, the states have run out of money and have adopted a strategy of quarantining the infected herd.

Wisconsin still has some money to pay farmers of CWD-positive herds, but only enough to make a small number of farmers happy, said Dr. Richard Bourie, from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Many in the audience were worried about what steps the DNR will take if more infected deer are discovered. The DNR said the 2013 hunting season will not change, but wouldn’t give any assurances for future years.

“In the next few months, hopefully it will clear up which direction we’re going,” Johansen said. “That’s one of the neat things about Wisconsin. We have a lot of public involvement, and we’re asking you to become involved and help steer this ship.”